It is often desirable to provide a container which can be used for both the shipment of small articles and the subsequent display of such articles at a point of distribution. Paperboard containers are particularly favorable for this purpose because of their relative ease of manufacture and low cost of production.
From a production standpoint, a paperboard container may be formed from a single flat sheet of paperboard or other suitable material which has been cut to a predetermined shape. Through a series of folding and gluing operations this flat sheet of paperboard can be transformed into a container of generally rectangular configuration suitable for packaging articles.
Additionally, because a paperboard container is formed from a single flat sheet of material, it is particularly well adapted to applying printed material to its surfaces. The printing is typically applied to selected surfaces of the unfolded paperboard which form the outwardly exposed surfaces of the paperboard container in its folded state. These surfaces may be coated prior to printing to provide a smooth printable surface.
When a shipping container will also be used as a display means at a point of distribution, a removable container wall may be provided for accessing the contents of the container. Frequently, the removable wall, providing access to the contents of the container, will have perforations about its periphery to facilitate removal thereof.
In some instances a removable container wall is provided, wherein the container wall remains hingedly attached to the container rather than being entirely removed. This hingedly attached wall may be imprinted on its inside surface, such that when the hinged wall is folded away from the container, the wall's inner surface is directly visible to a person accessing the contents of the container. The inner surface of the hingedly attached wall functions as a billboard for advertising the contents of the container. This type of container configuration is prevalent in consumer products markets, where a corrugated shipping container is converted to a display bin at the point of distribution.
One of the disadvantages of such an arrangement is that the paperboard container in its unfolded state must be subjected to two separate printing operations. This is necessary to apply printed media to both the outer surface of the container, as well as the inner surface of the hingedly attached wall, to permit the wall to function as an advertising billboard. Furthermore, printing on both surfaces of the unfolded paperboard carton may require the additional coating of the inside surfaces of the container which will contain printed media. These additional manufacturing operations require added time and expense in the production of such dual function paperboard containers.
Another disadvantage of conventional shipping/display containers is their inability to accommodate billboards of varying size, while still providing sufficient accessibility to the entire container interior. Existing containers typically utilize a billboard which completely encloses the top surface of the container. The billboard is hinged at the rear of the container at the junction between the top wall and back wall. This structure allows access to the entire interior of the container. An undesirable consequence of this design is that the billboard height increases proportionately with an increase in container depth. In instances where the available head room at a display location is limited, a tall billboard cannot be displayed. In such instances, the billboard is typically completely removed from the container and discarded.
Another disadvantage of conventional shipping/display containers is that when the individualized articles housed in the container are sized such that their height and width dimensions closely match those of the container, the edges of the article are not easily accessible and it becomes difficult to grasp and remove such individual articles from the container.
Yet another disadvantage of conventional shipping/display containers is that they require an added support structure to maintain the billboard in its unfolded or vertical display position. When a hinged container wall is used as a display billboard, it is either left freestanding in an unfolded display position, or it may be attached to an additional support structure separately provided. In the case of a freestanding billboard, any disturbance of the container (e.g., someone accessing the contents) may cause the billboard to shift from its substantially vertical orientation. This shifting may result in a billboard orientation in which the advertising media contained thereon is no longer directly visible to a consumer accessing the contents of the box.
The foregoing illustrates limitations known to exist in present designs of shipping/display containers. Thus, it is apparent that it would be advantageous to provide an improved display container directed to overcoming one or more of the limitations set forth above. Accordingly, a suitable alternative is provided including features more fully disclosed hereinafter.